We live in a sun soaked country – and us Aussies love it! Going to the beach, playing sport, outdoor picnics and barbeques are all what makes summer one of our favourite times of the year.But amongst all this fun, it’s easy to forget that the sun can be damaging. Sunburn, wrinkles, sunspots, leathery skin and, worst of all, skin cancer – these are the harsher reality of what too much sun can do to your skin.
Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. We need to get smarter about protecting ourselves from the sun.
Being smart about sun protection doesn’t mean you have to lock yourself indoors all summer. This brochure will tell you about some practical ways to enjoy the sun while being protected.
How the sun does its damage
What we see and feel as sunlight is actually made up of lots of different types of rays. There are visible rays, infra-red rays and ultraviolet rays.
Most experts consider visible light rays harmless and infra-red rays to be responsible for only a small part of skin damage. It’s the UV rays that cause the most damage to your skin (like aging effects and cancer). UV rays are broken down into different types again – UVA, UVB and UVC. UVA and UVB are the damaging ones. UVC rays don’t actually reach the Earth’s surface. All sunscreens recommended by anti-cancer council organisations filter out both types of UV rays.